This invention relates to spray cooled furnace systems, e.g. electric arc furnace systems, and more particularly to an assembly for raising a hollow spray cooled roof of a furnace and moving the roof laterally to a position away from the furnace and back again:
Spray cooled electric furnace systems of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,715,042, 4,815,096 and 4,849,987 involve the spray cooling of furnace closure elements, e.g. removable furnace roofs, which are unitary, i.e. formed into one piece from steel plates, are hollow to contain spray elements, and typically have a generally frusto-conical shape with a central opening for furnace electrodes. The roof of the furnace is regularly raised, moved to the side of the furnace to permit charging and subsequently returned and lowered to enclose the furnace.
The systems currently used to raise, move and lower spray cooled roofs are typically massive and include the use of multiple hoist arrangements which are expensive and time consuming in operation and have horizontally extending support members which extend across the furnace roof close to the central opening and which are significantly exposed at their middle portions to heat from interior the furnace.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for raising and moving a spray cooled furnace roof which is relatively inexpensive and simple in design and operation and is minimally exposed to heat from interior the furnace.